Wood ski with bonded wood insert



Jan. 23, 1951 c. F. LUND 2,539,369

WOOD SKI WITH BONDED WOOD INSERT Filed Nov. 15, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Iaavezzifam:

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a X T y yioflzmus Jan. 23, 1951 c. F. LUND woon SKI WITH BONDED WOODINSERT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 15, 1949 wzw s W Patented Jan. 23,1951 TENT 7 2,539,3 9 V WOOD SKI WITH BONDED Wooo INSERT Carl F. Lund,Laconia, N. H., assignor to G. A. V Lund and 00., Laconia, N. H., apartnership Application November 15, 1949 Serial No. 127.298

Claims.

This invention relates to wood skis and more particularly to an improvedski constructed of natural wood including a wood insert adhesivelybonded to the forward portion of the ski and holding it firmly andpermanently to the upturned shape impartedthereto.

In accordance with my invention, tip end portion bent upwardly isprovided with a recess horizontally'thereacross and therealong and astrip of natural wood is coated with adhesive and inserted in therecess. I This portion of the ski is then bent to the desired shape andthus held. in a press while the adhesive sets. No steaming of the tip isrequired and the final product comprises a substantially integral woodski including the insert and ski body permanently bonded together attheir contacting faces.

Natural wood not only is the strongest satisfactory insert material thatcan be employed in constructing laminated wood skis but such usefurthermore makes possible a product of uniform character throughout thethickness of the ski. Furthermore, naturalwood is tough and flexible andwill not chip, break off or pull apart in the manner of variouscompositions and like inserts. Skis take on moisture and expand whensubjected to wet snow conditions and dry out and shrink when stored in adry and warm place. This expansion and contraction will cause the ski tocrack or open at the adhesive joints unless the rate of expansion andcontraction is substanthe forward tially the same in the adhesivelyjoined pieces.

Natural wood has the characteristic of substantially equal expansion andcontraction and it will be apparent that in a ski constructed inaccordance with my invention all adjacent and adhesively united parts,being of wood, will expand and contract substantially in the same ratioand therefore maintain the integral integrity of the wood and joints.The construction of an improved ski of this nature comprises the primaryobject of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of preferred embodimentsthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawing wherein,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary edge view of a ski blank being constructed inaccordance with one embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary edge view of the completed ski,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of broken away,

the ski, partially of the ski body which is to be I,

Fig. is a view like Fig. 1 but showing a modi fied construction,

Fig. 5 illustrates the completed ski,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective View, partially broken away, of afurther modified construction,

Fig. 7 is an edge view of this construction, and

Fig. 8 is an edge view of a like ski somewhat modified.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated the forward end of a wood ski blank or bodyIt] in process of construction. In Figs. 2 and 3 is illustrated thefinished ski with its forward end 12 curved upwardly.

In accordance with my invention, I form a recess or slot l4 horizontallythrough the forward end of the ski body including the portion that is tobe curved. I then insert a wood strip IS in the slot, adhesively coatedat its ski contacting faces, and then bend the end of the ski upwardlyand hold it in the desired shape in a press with the adjacent faces infirm contact while the adhesive sets. The ski will thereafterpermanently maintain this shape. I preferably employ heat in the pressto save time and aid in the bending and drying operations.

The ski body In and insert 16 are of natural wood and therefore exp-andand contract substantially in equal degree, thereby maintaining theunbroken and integral character of the laminated tip of the ski underall conditions. To further facilitate this characteristic, I preferablyemploy the same kind of wood, such as hickory, in both the ski body andinsert or select woods which are most nearly alike in thecharacteristics desired.

It will be noted that the tip end portion iii of the ski is thickenedfor the purpose of reinforcing such end. In Figs. 4 and 5 I haveillustrated a similar construction employing a thickening wood wedge 20for this purpose and permitting the upper lamination 22 to be of uniformthickness throughout its length. This ski 24 and its construction areotherwise like that shown in Figs. 1-3.

In Figs. 6 and '7 I have illustrated a modified construction in whichthe tip end of the ski body 30 is recessed at 32 in its top surface.This recess increases in depth forwardly and a strip insert 34 of liketapering thickness is fitted into the recess. The adjacent faces of theinsert and ski are adhesively coated and the ski is bent to the desiredcurve and thus held in a press with the adjacent faces in firm contactwhile the adhesive sets, The insert thereafter serves permanently tohold the ski to this shape. This ski also preferably employs a wedge 36for thickening and reinforcing the forward tip.

The construction illustrated in Fig. 8 is the same as in Figs. 6 and 7except that this ski body 40 is recessed at its bottom surface toreceive the insert 42. This recess and insert increase to greaterthickness forwardly and a reinforcing wedge 44 is preferably employed atthe tip.

The ski bodies, inserts and wedges illustrated in Figs. 6-8 areconstructed of natural wood as and for the purpose hereinbeforedescribed in connection with the other forms of my invention.

It will now be apparent that I have produced an improved ski which willwithstand without breakage or damage the substantial expansion andcontraction incident to the absorption and loss of moisture when the.skis are used in the presence of moisture and storedin a warm and dryatmosphere. My improved ski furthermore will permanently retain thecurved shape irnparted to it even under the varying atmosphericconditions to which skis are subjected.

This application is a continuation-in-part of .my'copending applicationSerial No. 621,937, =filed .Gct.ober 12, 1945, now abandoned.

Having thus disclosed my invention what -I claim as new and desire to,secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A natural wood ski having a bottom snowengaging surface and anupturned forward end .portiornsaid end portion of the ski body having .a.recess therein disposed horizontally thereacross and vtherealong andextending continuously from the forward tip of the ski rearwardly to apoint kad-jacent to but rearwardly of said forward end portion, and astrip insert of natural .wood ad- .hesi-vely secured to an adjacent face,of the ski body within the recess and holdingsaid forward :end portionin upturned shape.

:2. The ski defined in claim '1 .in which the vski body and insertembody the same .kind of natural wood.

3. The ski defined in claim 1 plus a wedge of natural wood adhesivelybonded to the inward tip end portion of the ski between the top surfaceof said insert and the adjacent portion of the ski body, said wedgetapering rearwardly of the ski and thickening and strengthening theforward tip end portion of the ski.

4. The ski defined in claim 1 in which the reicess *isd-isposedinteriorly of the ski body'between its top and bottom surfaces and saidinsert is adhesively secured at its top and bottom faces to the skibody.

.5. .A natural .wood ski having bottom and top surfaces and an upturnedforward end portion, :saidzendrportion of the ski body having a recesstherein disposed horizontally thereacross and therealong at one of saidsurfaces and extending continuously from "the forward tip of the skirearwardly to a point adjacent to but rearwardly of said forward endportion, and a strip insert of natural wood adhesively secured to theadjacent face of the .ski body within the recess and holding saidforward end portion in up- ?turned shape, said insert being relativelythick .at its forward end .and tapering to a relatively thin rear end.

CARL F. .LUND.

REFERENCES .CITED The following references are of record in the -f le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,223,202 Davidson .Jan. 7, 1941{2369.004 Andreef Feb. 6, 1945 FOREIGN "PATENTS Number Country Date805,257 France Nov. 16, 1936

